Slack adjuster



Oct. 2v, 1923. y 1,469,571

f R. E. ADREON ET Al.

SLACK ADJUSTER Filed July 19. 1922v INVENTORS ROBERINDE.ADREON BYCHRSTCPHER P. GASS ATTORNEY L La ?atentedict. 2, i923.

narran stars Bonner n ebenen, or STQLOUIS, Missoula, Ann CHRISTOPHER r. CASS, or BERKE-v tieten LEY, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNORS T0 THE AltER-IGAN BRAKE COMPANY, -OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATON 0F MISSOURI.

SLACK ADJUSTER.

Application inea .uly 19, 1922. serial ne. 575,935. i

flo MZ whom 'it may concern: ,Y n

Be it known that we, ROBERT E. ADREON and CHRISTOPHER P. CASS, citizens of the United States, residents, respectively, of St. iLouislQState of Missouri, and Berkeley, in the county of Alameda., Stated-California, have jointly invented certain new and usei'ulfi provements in Slack Adjusters, of which the following is a specification.

ATais invention relates to slack adjusters for taking up slack in the brake rigging due to the wear o'f the brake shoes on the wheels. rllhe principal object of our in ention is to provide a slack adjuster in which the take-up cylinder is associated'with and entirely supported by the tie rod which connects the brake levers. Y

ln' the accompanyingz drawing; Figql Vis a plan view, ot a brake lever tiel rod 'and associated take-up cylinder, with the cylinder cover removed', and constructedin aC- cordance with our invention; 2 a side elevation thereof, partly in section; vand Fig'. 3. a section onV the line Editor" Fig. 2.

As shown in the drawing, the construction maj/.comprise casting l for pivotal connect-ion to one .brake lever, a takeup'cylinder 2 fixed to said jaw casting 1,'

sleeve member 3 fixed to the cylinder, and a jaw casting 4,' pivotally connected to the opposite brake lever and adapted to telescope into the sleeve member The` jaw casting l and the Sleeve member 3 may be secured to the take-up cylinder 2 by means ot through bolts 5.

AMounted in the take-up cylinder Q and in bearings provided in the jaw casting l and the'sleeve member 3 is a ratchet wheel` 6 which is secured to the end of an adjusting screw 7 by means of a key. pin 8. The

i to the opposite side of the'ratchet wheel 6 and serves as an abutment for a coil spring l2. lgivotally mounted on the stem Y1l is a lis partially rotated bythe pawl'.

pawl 13'adapted to,` engage the teeth ofV ratchet wheel 6.

Alexible pipe'll is-conn-'ected to the pis: ton chamber 10 and leads to a port in the brakecylinder. Y

In operation, when theV fluid pressure brakes are applied, fluid is suppli-ed to the brake cylinder, and if the stroke of the brake cylinder piston exceeds a predetermined amount, due to wear of the brake shoes, the

brake cylinder port will be uncovered sov that fluid under pressure is supplied to the piston chamberlO and the piston 9 is Shifted, causing the pawl 1S to engage a succeeding tooth of the ratchet wheel 6. vllVhen the brakes are released, fluid is Vexhausted fromA the piston'chamber 10, permitting lthe Spring 12130 move the piston rod and there? by the pawl 13 .so that the ratchet'wheel 6 y The adjusting screw 7 rotates with vthe ratchet wheel 6 and therefore turnsin the non-rotatable jaw castingil, so that said jaw casting is move'dltoward the left, shortening the length of theftie rod and thus taking up the slack.Y y

Having now described our invention, wha we claim as new and desire to Secure by Let.- tersPatent, is f Y fl. The combination with a pair of .tie rod members, of a take-upV cylinder fixed to one vmember, an adjusting screw having `screwthreaded engagement with the other member, and a ratchet wheel mounted in said"` cylinder and fixed to said adjusting screw.

2. The combination witha pair oftie, rod members, of a take-up cylinder fixed to 'one member, an adjusting screw having screwthreaded engagement with thev other member, a ratchet wheel rotatably mounted in said cylinder and fixedlyl secured to Said` screw, Aandmeans for. rotating said ratchet4 wheel and thereby said screw to cause a longitudinal movement of said screw en? gaged member. 1 j ln testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

RoBERT E. ADREON. CHRISTOPHER. P. oase. 

